Fantasy fix: Week 13 'boom or bust' players

For some fantasy owners out there, this is it: The final week of the regular season. For others, this is the second-to-last game before the playoffs begin.

Either way, Week 13 is a must-win for your team.

With all the bye weeks out of the way, there are no excuses left to make for your team unless your best players are still injured. The waiver wire is thin, but not bare. It’s time to end the fantasy regular season on a high note, and we’re here to help.

At the beginning of the season, Case Keenum was an afterthought - a player lost deep down on the depth chart. Fast forward to Week 13, and Keenum is playing lights out football for the Minnesota Vikings.

And in the world of fantasy football, he’s been equally as impressive.

Keenum is coming off a 27.28 point performance this past Thanksgiving weekend against a tough Detroit Lions defense. But to his credit, Keenum has been much more than just a one-hit wonder.

He has scored at least 17.20 fantasy points in his last four outings, throwing nine touchdowns and three interceptions over that span. He might not be the franchise quarterback in Minnesota for the years to come, but he’s leading the Vikings to the top of the league.

If you're in need of a signal-caller to guide your team to the playoffs, Keenum could be the guy to keep an eye on. After all, he’s owned in just 62 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Thursday morning and will go up against an Atlanta Falcons defense that’s ranked in the middle of the pack (16th) in terms of surrendering fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Brett Hundley, QB, Green Bay Packers

Brett Hundley is no Aaron Rodgers, but he sure looked good last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers - a defense that ranks fourth in the NFL in total defense.

Hundley had his first real breakout game as a starting quarterback since Rodgers went down earlier this season, passing for 245 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions. The former UCLA Bruin scored 22.40 fantasy points in Week 12, by far the most he has scored this season.

Brett Hundley is out here going toe-to-toe with Ben Roethlisberger on a national stage in a hostile environment. Whatever happens tonight, this is impressive. They’re doing something right in Green Bay.

Going up against Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 13, Hundley could be in line for another big day on the field.

Tampa Bay’s defense was supposed to be the backbone of its team, but it has fallen off this season. Ranked dead-last in the league in total defense, giving up 395.5 yards per game and 6.1 yards per play this season, the Buccaneers defense is vulnerable, to say the least.

They allowed Julio Jones, to run rampant on their secondary last week, amassing 253 yards and two touchdowns by himself. If the Packers offensive line can contain the Buccaneers pass rush, then Hundley will continue to put monster numbers.

He’s owned in just 11 percent of Yahoo leagues, and could be the sleeper you’ve been waiting for to lift your team into the playoffs.

Kenyan Drake, RB, Miami Dolphins

Here we go again.

Kenyan Drake has been on the fantasy radar since Jay Ajayi was shipped out of town to Philadelphia ia few weeks ago. While Drake hasn’t performed up to expectations, he has the perfect opportunity to do so in Week 13.

Damien Williams is expected to miss some time because of a shoulder injury and the other tailback in the committee, Senorise Perry, is currently in concussion protocol.

Owned in 66 percent of Yahoo leagues, there's still a chance that Drake is available on your waiver wire. If you’re in need of a solid FLEX or No. 2 running back this week, Drake will be a solid addition to your starting lineup.

BUST

Jay Ajayi, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

The aforementioned Ajayi was supposed to take over the running back position in Philadelphia. But so far, that hasn’t happened.

In limited carries, Ajayi has performed admirably, racking up 194 rushing yards on 20 carries. That’s an average of 9.7 yards per carry.

Jay Ajayi has three straight games with a 30-plus yard run. That's something Shady, Westbrook, Duce never did with #Eagles

If given more touches, Ajayi would be sure-fire bet to start week in, week out. But because he’s in a running back committee, it’s impossible to predict his per week value. In his first two games for the Eagles, Ajayi was able to break into the open field in each game and rack up yardage.

But without the “big play” in Week 12, Ajayi was limited to 26 yards on five carries, scoring an unacceptable 3.30 fantasy points.

Until Ajayi can take over the majority of touches for the Eagles, he’s not worth wasting a spot in your lineup unless he’s a Hail Mary FLEX option.

Kyle Rudolph, TE, Minnesota Vikings

Don’t buy Kyle Rudolph stock just yet.

The former Notre Dame standout is coming fof his best fantasy game of the season in Week 12, 18.30 points after hauling in 63 yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions.

The problem with putting your faith in Rudolph is that he only had four targets on the game, albeit he caught each one of them. It was the first time Rudolph eclipsed the 60-yard mark all season, and it was also the first time he had a multiple-touchdown game.

I’m not saying that he isn’t a serviceable tight end that can play each week, but he’s not the No. 1 tight end that your team is desperate for. The tight end class is weak in fantasy this season, but don’t put all your faith in Rudolph this week to replicate his Week 12 performance.

Josh Gordon, WR, Cleveland Browns

Let’s make one things clear about labeling Josh Gordon a fantasy bust this week: I hope I’m wrong.

Nothing would be better to have Gordon playing at a high-level. And from all the practice reports we’ve been getting over the past week, he doesn’t look very rusty after a nearly three-year long layoff. But even though head coach Hue Jackson said that Gordon will start this Sunday for the Browns, that doesn’t necessarily mean you should start him, too.

It’s hard to imagine that Gordon is game ready after being away from the sport for so long. Does he know the playbook well enough to run the route tree or will he just be running go routes for the majority of the game?

It’s very possible that Gordon has a monster game. After all, he’s the best wide receiver in football when he’s actually able to play. For Week 13, he’s worth having him on your roster once the playoffs come around in the next couple of weeks. But right now, he’s not worth starting.